The Commissioning Process.

Job roles in the commissioning process.

Commissioning Editors:

Commissioning editors are involved in every stage, they make sure that one it would sell in
the current market and they also can find ideas and add to stories, they are basically a
adviser for a project
They should be able to spot the difference between something that looks bad and what
looks good. Decent research skills to check facts. Negotiation could be required.
Knowledge of subject that are worked on is helpful.
Some knowledge of the industry and how it works.
They wouldn't be that involved but would most likely see an almost final version to make
sure its viable to be commissioned


(https://www.screenskills.com/) (06/01/2020)



Producer:

A producer develops ideas and sometimes can write a basic script or screenwriters or a
director can bring a script to a producer.a producer will once a script and idea is almost
finished and has plot points, they will go out looking for grants (money) to actually make
the film. A producer is with the film from start to finish.
A producer has to be strong and passionate about everything they do, as if not it could
affect if they get money to make the film or not.Producers have to be open and clear to
their staff to make sure they come across as honest and trustful.
Useful Subjects to aid becoming a producer.
A-levels or Higher in drama and theater, English, film studies or media studies.
The producer has a fairly big role in the script as they are the ones that need to make
sure that the script is actually possible to make as they know how much money is free
to be spent on the making of the film and sometimes.




(https://www.screenskills.com/) (06/01/2020)



James Cameron

"James Francis Cameron^[1] CC (born August 16, 1954) is a Canadian filmmaker, artist, and environmentalist, who is best known for making science fiction and epic films for the Hollywood mainstream. Cameron first gained recognition for directing The Terminator (1984). He found further critical and commercial success with Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) and True Lies (1994). His greatest big-budget productions have been Titanic (1997) and Avatar (2009), the former earning him Academy Awards in Best Picture, Best Director and Best Film Editing. Avatar, filmed in 3D technology, also garnered him nominations in the same categories."
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cameron)


Director

The director brings a strong creative look at to what the final outcome of the film will
actually be. They normally will also have a strong bond with the team that they build around
them. They are the people that will turn the script into reality.
They have to be a good leader whilst being kind and trustful. They have to be a good guide
as its their version of the film not the actors. A director does have to have an eye on the budget
of the film.
Their is courses that would lead to you being able to be a director like English , film studies
and many vocational courses. But one of the best ways is to just work your way up the ladder
from being an assistant / shadow to a role near the director to start to learn the trade.
The director is one of the big 3 (director, producer and the writer) influences on the script
because they are the ones that will possibly slightly adapt a script to actually make it a reality
and so its suits the ideas they have for the film.





(https://www.screenskills.com/) (06/01/2020)



Steven Spielberg

Steven Allan Spielberg (/ˈspiːlbɜːrɡ/; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. He is considered one of the founding pioneers of the New Hollywood era and one of the most popular directors and producers in film history.^[2] Spielberg started in Hollywood directing television and several minor theatrical releases. He became a household name as the director of Jaws (1975), which was critically and commercially successful and is considered the first summer blockbuster.^[3] His subsequent releases focused typically on science fiction/adventure films such as Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), and Jurassic Park (1993), which became archetypes of modern Hollywood escapist filmmaking.^[4]
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_Spielberg)

Script editor

They work alongside the camera department to make sure that the visuals match what is in the script.
they also have to have a good eye to spot any continuity errors that could occur in the final piece.
They have to be able to communicate a point clearly so that people understand.
You would have to be good at English. They should have a high understanding of the media
and film industry.
They follow the script and make sure that the filming follows it. And will note down any
changes during filming.

Agents

They manage people in the creative industry and are the people that are looking out for
work that their clients can do.
Agents need to have good communication skills to be able to talk to their clients and the
people that make the jobs available to them (producers and directors)
a bachelor's degree in theater arts, drama, acting and performing can be useful for the
Commissioning Editors knowledge of the industry. But just experience is the main thing you need.
Agents might read a script to see if it fits any of these actors but won't have much if any
power to change things.




(https://www.screenskills.com/) (06/01/2020)


Writers

They write and develop screenplays for films and TV. Can be an original idea or an
adaptation of a book.
Understanding of screenplays, creativity and understanding of the context of what they write about.
Good English skills are needed to make their work high quality. A Lot of practice and development
is also well appreciated.
The writer is often the main contributor to the script and will come up with the initial ideas that form
the basic story.




(https://www.screenskills.com/) (17/09/19)



Christopher Nolan

Christopher Edward Nolan CBE (/ˈnoʊlən/; born 30 July 1970) is a British-American filmmaker known for making personal, distinctive films within the Hollywood mainstream. His ten films have grossed over US$4.7 billion worldwide and garnered a total of 34 Oscar nominations and ten wins.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Nolan

Sometimes writers walk away from a job if 'creative differences' cant be overcome, Danny Boyle famously walked away from directing a Bond film because of 'creative differences' and has widely been reported that this was down to the want to kill of Bond
https://metro.co.uk/2018/08/26/danny-boyle-quit-james-bond-movie-over-plans-to-kill-him-off-7883996/

What is commissioning?

Commissioning is when a commissioning body reads your screenplay and can give you the opportunity to pitch your idea but it is hard to even get recognised at all. If successful your product could be made into an actual product.



What is optioning?

Optioning is when a person or a company likes and wants to make your story but maybe cant straight away so they buy some rights to it which means the original screenwriter can't sell the story onto a different company, often the script will be held for a year with a real intention of it being produced.



Carrie Pilby

'Carrie pilby' was optioned twice for around £5,000 for a year and then had a 3rd optioning years later which lead to a Netflix film. More in the article linked below.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/09/how-my-first-novel-became-a-movie/539430/


What is a commissioning body?

They pick what screenplays should actually be commissioned and possibly produced. They could just be sent scripts from aspiring writers or they could be running a competition that people submit work into.



What a literary agent?

A literary agents is someone who will do all of the work for you except writing the script. This often makes it easier for writers to get their work commissioned as the agencies have all different kinds of contacts in different areas.

What to do to get agent representation with knight hall?

First you need to email knight hall telling them a little bit about yourself with some brief description of your work but don't add any attachments. But wait until they respond to the initial email before sending in your actual script but only one script and preferably in the post.

http://www.knighthallagency.com/

Three things not to do to an agent?

Constantly phoning to find things out when you have been told to just be patience.
Sending things in a more fancy way thinking they will be recognised more.
Submitting scripts that clearly have copyright infringements involved without already seeing the relevant documents.



BBC writers room , what do they do and what they look for?

The BBC writers room is all about helping new and existing writers in many genres. They don't accept all kinds of scripts all year round and instead have set windows where they look at scripts. They look for actual scripts not just some basic ideas as to what the idea would entail. They advise people to give in the best script they can and not just early drafts.They look for more brand new ideas and not just remakes of another idea.

( https://www.bbc.co.uk/writersroom/ )

Independent production company?

They are good for unknown writers because know it will be cheaper for them. Script editing is often done in house making the process a bit similar. Sometimes funding will be sourced from larger corporations to help the process this often does come with the large corporation taking some revenue from the final product.



Why is it easier for an independent director to produce their screenplay?

When you produce your own work you have all the power to take that script where you want it to be. You can get all the people you want. There are difficult parts to producing their own work and its mostly down to money as it's a hard job to get a good amount of funds to actually make the script come to life.their is also the problem where when you have the power to do what you want, there is no one who will tell you no.



Independent producers?

They have all the freedom and all of the powers to find and finance a screenplay. All of their decisions on where to take the screenplay but they have to make sure that it does make a profit otherwise they are the ones that have to answer to the financiers. Having complete control over something can be good for certain people but sometimes people can try and do to much which can ruin a hole production. The work involved is also a lot more as cost savings mean they often work more than one role in a production.


The script factories goal was to celebrate great screenwriting craft. They had masterclasses / workshops with established screenwriters to try and develop screenwriters skills.

Bluecat is an organisation that runs competitions that gives aspiring writers to get their work written and given feedback.





( https://www.bluecatscreenplay.com/competition/prizes/ ) (30/09/2019)



Every script submitted to Bluecat will get a written assessment which then is also allowed to be resubmitted once you have made changes. If you win one of the prizes it should enable writers to go on and hopefully get their ideas commissioned.



Changes to a script

Sometimes companies would want amendments and changes done to the script. If you make the changes they want their is a high chance you get commissioned but sometimes if you don't agree with what they want you might have to walk away or explain to them why. Sometimes changes are made to the budget that is available or it can be to fully avoid any plagiarism of other texts.



Whats a shooting script?

A shooting script is the script that is used during production, it will include scene and page numbers. There are certain guidelines that have to be followed if changes are made during production to avoid disruption. Page lock-down is a vital part to make sure shooting is effective. Locking a page down means that any changes or revisions to the script are coded specifically to certain pages/scenes and are sent around as an individual page, this avoids having to print the whole script and enables cast and crew to keep their notes.



Script coverage?

This is an analysis of a screenplay that is done by a script reader.often these are done for small fees, the script will be assessed, marked and graded based on some set guidelines.

Working as a Writer

Agent representation

Having an agent will make you look more professional. An agents boosts the chance of your work being seen by a producer. Agents can be independent or part of a major corporation for example knight hall who represent screenwriter.

( http://theagency.co.uk/the-company/ )

Professional presentation

Time management

The amount of time you can spend on a screenplay depends on one thing if its commissioned or if it's just for yourself. Once your work is commissioned you are given a set deadline of when the screenplay is needed, if missed the production company will just move to someone else to write the idea. If its just for you the only deadline that are present are the ones that you personally set.

Legal and ethical considerations

Copyright

If your idea has been copyrighted it means that no one else can use that same idea for them self. Copyright often is often for a limited time and then you have to apply again. Copyright often doesn't fully cover you from all angles as someone can still take your idea change enough things like characters and settings and it is seen as fine.

( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright#/media/File:Copyright.svg )

Bias

Bias is all about pushing a one sided opinion in a film or TV show. Bias is most recognisable in documentaries with arguments often being one sided, the side taken depends on what director/producer is working on the project.

Censorship

Censorship consists of the things that you are allowed to see and hear and the other half is the things that you are not meant to know. This can include Protecting a person's privacy and graphical content.
Different countries have different levels of censorship as often it is the government that decides what can and cant be seen so things that might be visible in the UK might then not be visible in a different country like china.

Examples of the Most Famous Films that Were Banned in China

• Christopher Robin (the United States, 2018) - The film was banned after the case when the Chinese leader Xi Jinping had been compared to the Pooh, associating the character with political opposition.
• Deadpool (the United States, 2016) – The film was banned because of violent scenes, nakedness, and graphic language.

• Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life (Multinational coproduction, 2013) – The film was banned due to improper representation of China, as the country was depicted as the one without government and controlled by secret societies.                    (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_censorship_in_China)

Some films can fall in the trap of copyright infringement, where they steal someones idea or at least take parts or characters and this can cause huge fines.

( http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2018/20-famous-movies-accused-of-copyright-infringement/ )

Watershed

The watershed is specific to TV. The watershed hours are after 9pm and this is when gradually more adult content is allowed to be shown as their is less chance a child will see it. This doesn't give the TV industry free will on what they can show but opens up more options of what can be shown.

https://www.ofcom.org.uk/tv-radio-and-on-demand/advice-for-consumers/television/what-is-the-watershed



Libel

Libel is when someone makes up a false story about someone which then can ruin certain reputations that people have spent years working towards. Some people will take you to court if they feel it has affected them a lot.

Borat by Larry Charles (Director), this mockumentary has been hit by a few lawsuits, most notably being one from students who claimed alcohol was given to the to act more strange that they would have naturally. the outcome of the lawsuit was that the film maker was in the right and wasn't charged 
https://theclearancelab.com/film-lawsuits-profile-borat/



Plagiarism

Plagiarism is if someone steals someone else's idea / concept without any permission or acknowledge the original creator. This is not looked on well by the professional industry.